Half a dozen Piranhas took to the wet streets of Zurich on Sunday for their first taste of the unique experience of Ironman. Niall Larkin gives his take on the event in the following report...
Half a dozen Piranhas took to the wet streets of Zurich on Sunday for their first taste of the unique experience of Ironman. Niall Larkin gives his take on the event in the following report...
Ironman Switzerland 2008
ABC television once called Ironman "The toughest sporting test of the human body and soul". With a tag like that, I've got to do it. I'm in!
Why? That's the most common word / question I have heard all year. And I have given numerous different answers to it, the most common being that it is the ultimate challenge, but I also threw in the classic answer Mallory gave when asked why did he climb Everest – "Because it's there". But in truth the reason I did it was because a couple of years ago when first asked was I going to do an Ironman, I thought I wouldn't be able to do one of them. So, there you have it folks, self-doubt is the ultimate motivator!!
Fast forward to Switzerland in July. We do a little training and go to the expo. The night before the race down at transition, I look over all the bikes and feel like a Roman General looking over the upcoming battlefield and I feel really brave. Then two seconds later I feel like a little boy in a mans race and I feel scared. So I think positive and think of Maximus Decimus Meridius from Gladiator when he gives his rallying speech about "what you do in life echoes in eternity". That's it Russell, love the cliché.
On the morning of the race my alarm goes off at 4:15am. I have actually slept for about 4.5 hours, which is great, but the bad news is the monsoons have arrived. It is teaming down. Breakfast doesn't do much to cheer me up and we get a taxi to the start where it is still pouring down.
At the start I don't go to my bike for long, as I just want to stay dry and warm. Not easy. We are all wearing bike covers like ponchos to stay dry. Not long before the start I prepare all my gear into plastic bags to stay dry. Then suit up, say goodbye to my support crew and the other Piranhas and off to the swim start.
THE EASY BIT (3.8KM SWIM)
2500 people in a mass swim start, what can I say? Again, I think of Gladiator and the countdown is a bit like Russell Crowe's line of "on my signal, unleash hell". Not being the strongest swimmer in the field, I hang to the back. I just want to take it fairly easy, don't waste unnecessary energy and stay safe. I have a clear passage to the first buoy at about 600 metres. Then it grinds to a holt turning the first buoy. As we are starting to move again, I get a left hook that Ricky Hatton would have been proud of. It doesn't break my stride – I'm tougher than I thought. After that the swim goes well and I exit after 1:13:17, ahead of my 1:16 target. I take my time in transition 1 to make sure I am dry, even though it is still raining heavily.
THE HARD BIT (180KM BIKE)
The pouring rain and the cold make for poor cycling conditions but we have to brave it. The cycle starts with 30km of dead flat roads – beautiful. The orders from Rich Brady (our Ironman coach) are to take it very easy for the first hour. I pass Greg and Niall and still manage to do 34km in the first hour while taking it handy. Then the climbs start. They are ok. I just concentrate on my calorie intake. The Beast comes and goes without a bother. Then there are a couple of ups and downs before we round the lake and come to Heartbreak Hill. What can I say about Heartbreak Hill? It rocks! Its only 800 metres long and it is a little pinchy but so much fun. The crowds are out in force, even in this weather chanting "Hopp, hopp hopp" (go, go, go). I hear this a million times. The crowds totally encroach the road leaving just enough room for a bike to get through. It is the closest thing I will ever encounter to the Tour de France. After Heartbreak Hill, it is back past transition and onto the second lap.
The second lap is a little tougher. The first hour is still quick, The Beast is still manageable but I don't remember the little rise after the Beast from the first lap. Around four hours into the bike I have to do my first ever "pee while pedalling". It's not easy but I manage to go twice before the end of the cycle. Greg Campbell breaks the world record with 11!!
The rain stops half way through the second lap but the roads are still wet and I almost come off at 73.3kph while free-rolling down one of the hills. At about 150km my concentration is starting to wander, so I eat more. This keeps me going. Around the same time I see Super Hans on the side of the road, his race over. Super Hans is a very intense 49 year old Dutch guy staying in our hotel. He is looking to break 10 hours and qualify for Hawaii, but it's all over. Tough break Super Hans. The flat around the lake is boring me on lap 2 and I can't wait for Heartbreak Hill. Heartbreak Hill comes and goes again with more hopp, hopp, hopping but without too much effort. Then it's a flat 8km or so back to transition. The bike takes me 5:37:29, shattering my target of 6 hours (optimistic) to 6:30 (semi-pessimistic but look at the weather).
In transition 2 I have another total change and dry myself thoroughly, so I can be as comfortable as possible on the run. I take 7:35 but half of that is spent in the toilet!
THE PAINFUL BIT (MARATHON)
I leave transition 2 at 7:04:00 and start to think I can break 11 hours, never mind my target of 12 hours. I just have to do 5:30 kilometres. It's a 4 lap, 10.5km flat course and the overcast weather is now perfect for running. I do the first lap in 52:30 and the second in 55:00. This is great. During the lead up to Ironman, I had an Achilles injury which prevented me from running for parts of April and all of May. I only managed to get 5 weeks of post injury running in and the longest runs were 2 by 16 miles, half of which was on grass. Far from ideal but what can you do? Right on cue at 16 miles my quads decide no more. They turn to stone and I am starting to struggle and there are 10 long miles to go. I do the only thing I can think of and overdose on energy gels. It's a struggle and lap 3 takes a long 1:08:30. The fourth lap is tough but I am on the way home. I grit my teeth and run through the discomfort (slowly). I see Greg, Peter and Derek for the first time. All are close behind. I manage to hobble down to the finish area where I give hugs and kisses to my supporters before turning that last bend to the finish line. This is what it's all about. This is what the 4000 plus kilometres on the bike, the 1000km of running, the 200km of swimming, the 5am starts, the 6 hour cycles have led me to. This is my time and my place. This is my Elysium. I round the corner and soak up the finishing chute. I high 5 the crowds and take my time soaking it up. My marathon time of 4:03:57 gives me a finishing time of 11:07:57 well ahead of my target of 11:59:59. The other Piranhas are all close behind. Greg comes next in 11:11, Niall in 11:16, Peter in 11:17, Derek in 11:19 and Pat in 12:40.
THE AFTERMATH
The 5 of us go out to relax in one of the whirlpools provided. We manage to get one of them to ourselves. Switzerland being very liberal means guys are just taking the kit off and jumping in. There are "Greezlies" everywhere. One of the guys remarks that "we've come a long long way together", to which I reply "through the hard times and the good" before all 5 of us start signing Fatboy Slims Praise You. You know it, "I have to celebrate you baby, I have to praise you like I should". I have a feeling they all thought we were crazy. With my muscles tightening, I have trouble getting out of the whirlpool and get stuck with one leg out and one in. Not much fun when you're naked!!
The following day we have a liquid lunch where Greg suggests we go back to the lake on Tuesday for a recovery swim and to look at the "shrubbery and scenery". I tell him I have no interest in shrubbery and scenery but he has to spell it out, "I'm talking about birds man" (Newry accent required). Apparently the "shrubbery and scenery" in the city that night and by the lake was magnificent. Greg, can you please confirm.
We went to the supermarket and bought buns and scones and myself and Greg make a sorry effort of having a running race, which makes Greg spill his bun. He makes a pathetic effort to pick it up (I don't think he made it below his knee) before kicking it away in anger. Greg's body 1, Greg's mind over matter skills 0!!
We meet on Monday night for celebration beers. Well earned. We trade stories and pat each other on the back (plus the odd man kiss!). We leave at different times, from the early (Peter dragging Siobhan out at about midnight) to the late late (I'll leave the time to Greg and Niall to confirm). But it has to be done.
Looking back, the training was tough but manageable with a little discipline. But it was all worth it. I'll never say I'll never do another one again but not for the foreseeable future. The next challenge is the sub 3-hour marathon in Rotterdam in April. Any takers??
Over the past few months I have become extremely Narcissistic. I have dropped weight, toned up and become a meaner athlete. In my own little world, I am Narcissus. I am the ultimate athlete. In the real world, I am an Ironman!
PiranhaTri
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